Direct generation of metal parts and tools by selective laser powder remelting (SLPR)

Abstract

For the direct manufacture of metallic prototypes and tools Fraunhofer ILT is developing the new rapid prototyping (RP) process Selective Laser Powder Remelting (SLPR). The objective of this development is to manufacture metallic prototypes and tool prototypes out of serial materials with a density of 100 %, so that the manufactured parts can be immediately installed without time consuming post-processing like e.g. infiltration. For this, basic investigations for process analysis of steel powder among other materials are being carried out to attain a fundamental understanding of the process. Process parameters have been determined and process procedure strategies have been developed with which parts of stainless steel and tool steel with a density > 99 % are manufacturable without any binder component. Due to the high density the tensile strength and yield strength of the parts produced by SLPR are in the range of the material specification.On the base of these results a prototype plant for the SLPR is being constructed and realized. With this apparatus complex functional prototypes out of steel as well as prototype mold inserts for injection molding and die casting can be manufactured.For the direct manufacture of metallic prototypes and tools Fraunhofer ILT is developing the new rapid prototyping (RP) process Selective Laser Powder Remelting (SLPR). The objective of this development is to manufacture metallic prototypes and tool prototypes out of serial materials with a density of 100 %, so that the manufactured parts can be immediately installed without time consuming post-processing like e.g. infiltration. For this, basic investigations for process analysis of steel powder among other materials are being carried out to attain a fundamental understanding of the process. Process parameters have been determined and process procedure strategies have been developed with which parts of stainless steel and tool steel with a density > 99 % are manufacturable without any binder component. Due to the high density the tensile strength and yield strength of the parts produced by SLPR are in the range of the material specification.On the base of these results a prototype plant for the SLPR is be...